This past Sunday we talked about the importance of telling others about Jesus. Sundays, February 7 & 14 will be great days to put this discipline in action. These are FRIENDALICIOUS Sundays! Every child that brings a friend will get a smoothie for both kids. Encourage and help your child participate. This is a fun way to invite friends to church.
See You Sunday!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 24
Week of January 25- January 30
Virtue: Discipline- doing what you need to do NOW so you can grow stronger!
Bible Story: Peter states who Jesus is Matthew 16:13-17
Bottom Line: If you want to know God better, talk about Him with your friends
Peter made a bold confession of what he thought about Jesus. This month we have talked about reading the Bible, memorizing Scripture and prayer. This week we talk about the discipline of telling people about Jesus. This can be one of the most challenging things for believers to do. But, when we do it can be one of the most rewarding.
How many times do your kids see you practicing one of these disciplines. I was talking to a couple of our men volunteers one day about their service. You see, these guys serve on Sundays with kids and also perform in our KidzStuff LIVE drama team and are asked to do some pretty crazy things. But when their kids are older I think they will remember those crazy things and know their dad wanted boys and girls to learn about the love of Jesus.
When was the last time you modeled one of those disciplines before your kids. I think kids need to see us (parents) practice our disciplines. Not as a formal lesson, but as our lifestyle. This week how about picking up your Bible instead of the remote or memorize a Scripture verse and ask them to check you for accuracy.
Remember, what happens at home is just as important as what happens at church!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
January 2010 Snapshot!
Here is a snapshot of the entire month. We are focusing on our five faith skills.
Less is more. We're fond of saying that around here. And much of the time, we're more effective living by it. But sometimes MORE is more. Want a voluminous vocabulary? Read more. Want to nail the lines for your part in a sketch? Rehearse more. Want to master the "Cha Cha Slide" (like for January's large group, grades 4-5)? Practice more. You get the drift. And just like you need to lift more if you want bigger biceps, you need to do some things more if you want to know God better, like:
Read His Book. Can you think of a more foundational, first-step way to get to know Him? Plus, "God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIrV). What better example of the importance of engaging in God's Word than Jesus as a 12-year-old in the temple? (Which happens to be the Bible story for week 1.)
Remember His words. "By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing" (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV). Jesus showed us (particularly that time He was tempted in the wilderness) we not only need to (Step 1) read God's Word, we need to (Step 2) memorize it, internalize it, and take it to heart so that we'll be ready for whatever comes our way.
Talk to Him. "Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him" (Philippians 4:6, NIrV). To get to know someone and to strengthen your relationship with that person, you have to talk him or her, right? It's the same way with God. You gotta talk to Him. This week (week 3) will help kids better understand Jesus' answer when one of the disciples asked Him how to pray.
Talk about Him with your friends. "I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6, NIrV). Saying what you believe out loud helps solidify your beliefs. Could this be one reason Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do YOU say I am?" (The story for week 4.)
Make Him more important than anything. "Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13a, NIrV). This week (week 5) we'll be taking a look at what Jesus said about "the widow's mite" and how it helps us to worship the only one we should serve.
These are all priorities and habits -- disciplines -- that can help us (A) get to know God better and (B) grow stronger. Kids need to understand that they don't have to wait till they're older to get to know God; God wants them to start now. He's ready to help them, every step of the way, NOW. So this January, 252 Basics is designed to help kids see how discipline, which is doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger, can help strengthen their relationship with God.
But that's not all. Because SOMETIMES more IS more. So in addition to helping kids understand and experience discipline as a godly virtue, each week in January will also offer practical experiences in the 5 Faith Skills we think every kid should master:
1. Navigate the Bible (survey and locate)
2. Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
3. Dialogue with God (public and private)
4. Articulate faith (share and defend)
5. Worship with your life (praise and give)
If you would like to use this article in communication with parents and leaders at your church, feel free, so long as you (1) make no changes to the article, and (2) include the following credit line with the article: By Melanie Williams. © 2010 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Less is more. We're fond of saying that around here. And much of the time, we're more effective living by it. But sometimes MORE is more. Want a voluminous vocabulary? Read more. Want to nail the lines for your part in a sketch? Rehearse more. Want to master the "Cha Cha Slide" (like for January's large group, grades 4-5)? Practice more. You get the drift. And just like you need to lift more if you want bigger biceps, you need to do some things more if you want to know God better, like:
Read His Book. Can you think of a more foundational, first-step way to get to know Him? Plus, "God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIrV). What better example of the importance of engaging in God's Word than Jesus as a 12-year-old in the temple? (Which happens to be the Bible story for week 1.)
Remember His words. "By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing" (2 Timothy 3:17, NIrV). Jesus showed us (particularly that time He was tempted in the wilderness) we not only need to (Step 1) read God's Word, we need to (Step 2) memorize it, internalize it, and take it to heart so that we'll be ready for whatever comes our way.
Talk to Him. "Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him" (Philippians 4:6, NIrV). To get to know someone and to strengthen your relationship with that person, you have to talk him or her, right? It's the same way with God. You gotta talk to Him. This week (week 3) will help kids better understand Jesus' answer when one of the disciples asked Him how to pray.
Talk about Him with your friends. "I pray that you will be active in sharing what you believe. Then you will completely understand every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6, NIrV). Saying what you believe out loud helps solidify your beliefs. Could this be one reason Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do YOU say I am?" (The story for week 4.)
Make Him more important than anything. "Worship the Lord your God. He is the only one you should serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13a, NIrV). This week (week 5) we'll be taking a look at what Jesus said about "the widow's mite" and how it helps us to worship the only one we should serve.
These are all priorities and habits -- disciplines -- that can help us (A) get to know God better and (B) grow stronger. Kids need to understand that they don't have to wait till they're older to get to know God; God wants them to start now. He's ready to help them, every step of the way, NOW. So this January, 252 Basics is designed to help kids see how discipline, which is doing what you need to do now so you can grow stronger, can help strengthen their relationship with God.
But that's not all. Because SOMETIMES more IS more. So in addition to helping kids understand and experience discipline as a godly virtue, each week in January will also offer practical experiences in the 5 Faith Skills we think every kid should master:
1. Navigate the Bible (survey and locate)
2. Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
3. Dialogue with God (public and private)
4. Articulate faith (share and defend)
5. Worship with your life (praise and give)
If you would like to use this article in communication with parents and leaders at your church, feel free, so long as you (1) make no changes to the article, and (2) include the following credit line with the article: By Melanie Williams. © 2010 The reThink Group * www.rethinkgroup.org * All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Confessions of a Bad Start
As you can see this is the first blog post of 2010 and the first since the beginning of December. Wow! How easy it is to get behind. Well let this be encouragement to you take a next step. It's never too late to take a next step. Especially in our parenting. Parenting is hard work-- especially leading your child into the character of Jesus.
This month we are talking about discipline. Discipline is DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW SO YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I think this is a virtue most of us would really like to see in our kids. Let's journey the rest of the month in helping our kids learn the value of discipline now!
This month we are talking about discipline. Discipline is DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW SO YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I think this is a virtue most of us would really like to see in our kids. Let's journey the rest of the month in helping our kids learn the value of discipline now!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
At HomeStuff Week of December 6
Virtue: Compassion—caring enough to do something about someone else’s need.
Memory Verse: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.” John 3:16, NIrV
Bible Story: The Angel (Gabriel appears to Mary) • Luke 1:26-38
Bottom Line: God saw our greatest need. Whose needs do you see?
What better time of year to show children what compassion is all about: caring enough to do something about someone else’s need? God saw our greatest need—our need for a Savior—and did something about it when He sent us Jesus in baby form. Could there have been a more eloquent expression of love and compassion? No way! “The Lord LONGS to be gracious to you; he RISES to show you compassion” (Isaiah 30:18, NIV; emphasis is ours). Imagine His elation when He sent Gabriel to tell Mary about this great gift coming her way! Imagine what God instilled in Mary’s heart and mind in those nine months He prepared her for Jesus’ birth. Just as He instills compassion in us. And just as Mary’s arms would cradle that infant in God’s love, He enfolds the world in compassion through our words and actions. So this week, focus on helping your child understand that compassion recognizes or sees something, that you have to pay attention and SEE what people need before you can meet their needs.
At home this week make a list of people around you that have a need. Have them talk about ways your family could help meet part of that need.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
At HomeStuff week November 29
Every month we have a fifth Sunday we pause to focus on one of five FAITH SKILLS. Here are the five FAITH SKILLS:
5 Skills Every Kid Needs to Master
1. Navigate the Bible (survey and locate)
2. Personalize Scripture (memorize and apply)
3. Dialogue with God (private and public)
4. Articulate Faith (share and defend)
5. Worship with Your Life (praise and give)
Not Just on Sunday!
This week we talked about Faith Skill #5: Worship with your life (praise and give).
Bible Story: Not Just on Sunday (the fellowship of the believers) • Acts 2:42-47
Bottom Line: I can worship God _____.
Because this is the fifth week of the month, it’s a natural opportunity to shift gears a bit. So, we’re focusing on a “faith skill,” the faith skill of worshiping with your life (through praising and giving). You may notice that the bottom line has a blank in it. Don’t worry; it’s intentional. Over the centuries, worship has mistakenly been thought of as only singing or playing music, but if we take a tip from the first fellowship of believers, we come to understand that worship is so much more than that! We can worship God in many ways: we can worship God at any time and anywhere, we can worship God in many different ways, we can worship Him alone, or with others. You fill in the blank! There is no limit to how we can show our love to God because He has made us each wonderfully unique. So this week, focus on teaching your kids to fill in the blank with whatever He has gifted and given them to do.
Will you take a few moments sometime this week and read this story at home. By reading this at home you are practicing the bottom line. It has been said that practice makes perfect. Well practicing these faith skills at home shows your child that our faith is more than just a place we attend, but something that is active in our daily world.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
At HomeStuff November 22-29
Week of November 22-29
Bottom Line this Week: Working together to get God's work done.
By now your child should have a really good idea of what cooperation is all about: working together to do more than you can do alone. They should also have a firm grasp of the fact that cooperation is not just a good idea-- it’s a “God idea.” Because of that, cooperation is something that should permeate our lives, in both everyday activities and in church activities (although the everyday activities are also sacred, for a believer, right? Check out Colossians 3:23.).
This week we are talking about how the Israelites came together to make their mobile tabernacle under God’s direction. “The Israelites completed all the work, just as God had commanded. Moses saw that they had done all the work and done it exactly as God had commanded” (Exodus 39:42-43, The Message). Although where you gather as a church looks different from that tent of long ago, one of our reasons for gathering remains the same: to get God’s work done. So this week, help kids better understand what “God’s work” looks like and how it benefits us all.
At home this week talk about what cooperation looks like both at church and at home. Thanks for those families that participated in either Operation Christmas Child (shoeboxes) or the NETWORK project (mosquito nets). This is a great picture of COOPERATION. We partner with people from our church, that partner with people from our state that connect with thousands of people around the country to make a significant difference.
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